Skipper Graham Coughlan today admitted Shrewsbury Town must stop relying on slips from other teams to keep their promotion dream intact – or run the risk of a summer of regrets.

Despite Grimsby holding them to a fifth successive draw – and a sixth in seven games – on Saturday, Town today remain in the play-off positions after another weekend of favourable results.

But Coughlan insists Shrewsbury must stand up and be counted in the closing five games of the season if they want to guarantee a top seven finish.

“Some day we are going to come into the dressing room and all of the results are going to go against us,” said the 34-year-old.

“They have gone for us so far and other teams have given us a dig out. But if we don’t get our finger out, we are not going to be in there for much longer.

“I have been lucky enough to experience promotion campaigns myself and they are absolutely brilliant.

“The whole town gets a buzz and a bounce and the memories will live for you long in your career.

And it’s there for us. I just hope we don’t turn around in May and say we had a chance and let it go because that would be a regret.”

Meanwhile, manager Paul Simpson has hit out at comments from on-loan striker James Constable stating his desire to join Oxford on a permanent deal.

Oxford claimed on Friday that they have signed Constable, who has spent the season with the Blue Square Premier club, on a three-year-deal.

Shrewsbury officials insist that deal is not yet complete, and Simpson was clearly disappointed.

“James is under contract and it confuses me how something gets announced on Friday when the deadline for any signings in the Conference was last Tuesday night,” he said.

“James Constable has said some silly things in the Press recently. He needs to keep his mouth shut a little bit because he is talking about things that might not be under his control.

“He’s contracted to us for next season and he is still our football player because he has a contract.”

By JAMES GARRISON